Forward is expected to be out of action four to five months

RALEIGH, NC—Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that forward Tuomo Ruutu underwent successful shoulder surgery this morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Marty Isbell at Rex Surgery Center in Cary, and Ruutu will be out of action for four to five months.

Ruutu, 27, netted 14 goals and had 21 assists (35 points) in 54 games for the Hurricanes this season. He currently leads Hurricanes forwards in hits this season, despite missing 16 games due to injury. Ruutu set new single-game career highs in goals, with his first career hat trick on Dec. 16, and assists, with four against Toronto on Nov. 19 this season. The Vantaa, Finland, native represented his home country at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, scoring one goal and helping Finland capture the bronze medal. He has 92 goals and 116 assists (208 points) in 378 career NHL regular-season games with Chicago and Carolina.